Pole climbing device



May 27, 1958 G. B. SCHUMAN 2,336,335

POLE CLIMBING DEVICE Filed Nov. 18, 1955 8 35 5 35 5 2 3 INVENTOR.

(31mm IB. fichumoa United States Patent U POLE CLIMBING DEVICE Gunnar B. Schuman, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 18, 1955, Serial No. 547,771

3 Claims. (Cl. 227-26) This invention relates to pole climbing devices and the like such as are worn by linemen and others attached to their feet to facilitate the climbing of poles such as telegraph, telephone, and other similar posts and the like.

An object of the invention is the provision of an improved safety device which is adjustable through a wide range to enable ascent and descent of varying sized poles and the like and which will easily disengage and also which will positively grip the pole and become engaged at each step enabling the climber to ascend and descend the pole with great facility, less exertion and ease of mind resulting from confidence in the support provided.

Accordingly, the invention consists of a foot support securely supporting the feet from below and behind and a clamping-like member including a fixed pole-engaging element rigidly connected to the foot support and a selectively adjustable element which is spaced below and is adapted to engage the pole or the like in a position opposed from the fixed element. A suspender or force transferring member gives further support to the foot supporting plate by transferring the pole-engaging force to the foot-engaging plate in a manner that the climber is supported by an upwardly directed force impinging at or near his heel.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and numerals of reference thereon.

n the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of the invention, a shoe and a pole being shown in dotted lines for the purpose of illustration.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the bottom of the device illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top view of a portion of a modified fixed pole engaging element.

Now, having reference more particularly to the drawings, a foot or shoe support preferably of metal construction is shown as being a rectangular plate of adequate dimension to support a shoe S. The support 10 has identical opposite edge flanges 11, 11 at opposite sides of the plate and an apertured rear flange 12, all of said flanges extending downwardly from the edge of said plate, as illustrated in Fig. 3. A pair of opposed upwardly extending brackets 13, 13 are secured to flanges 11, 11 near their outer ends, respectively, slightly below the surface of support 16 normally engaging the heel 46 of shoe S in opposed positions, as illustrated in Fig. 2. A pair of straps 16, 16 are secured in slots 14 (only one of which is shown in the drawings) in brackets 13, 13 by means of fasteners 15, such as rivets, as illustrated in Fig. l. The straps 16, 16 are adapted to support the shoe S from behind where they cross each 2 in Fig. l. The straps 16, 16 are of any suitable fabrication and when used as illustrated in Fig. 1 provide a rear support to preclude removal of the foot from support 10.

A pair of horizontally spaced brackets 17 and 18 are rigidly secured to the flanges 11, 11 by means such as bolts or screws 19 and lock nuts 20, as illustrated in the drawings. The brackets 17 and 18 are of metal construction and each has an upwardly extending portion 21 extending over the toe 48 of the shoe S and a transversely extending portion 22, as illustrated in Fig. 3,, which on their inner face engage the edges of flanges 11, 11, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

The opposite ends of the bracket 18 have a pair of upturned apertured ears 23; and the bracket .17 has a pair of upturned apertured ears 24. Ears 23 and 24 are in longitudinal alignment. The inner end or arm 25 or an upper, fixed pole-engaging element 26 is secured be tween the upturned ears 23 and 24, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, by means of fasteners 27, herein illustrated as being of wing nuts and bolts. The fixed pole-engaging member 26 comprises an outer channel, preferably 6- shaped, component 49 in which there is pressed fit a strip or core 28 of resilient material such as hard rubber or the like which is adapted to friotionally engage pole P. A modified form of the invention may be employed wherein the C-shaped component 59 is provided in the outer end portions thereof with teeth 51. The modified form is advantageous in climbing poles of wood or the like.

The strip 28 is shown as being bolted at 29, 29 adjacent the ends of C-shaped component 49, as illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be appreciated, of course, that the fixed pole-engaging member 26 is preferably of metal construction.

The lower and inner ends 3t 39 of brackets 13, 13 are bent inwardly, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and their inner surfaces engage respective flanges 11, 11 at their lower edges. Spaced forwardly of the ends 39, 30 are a pair of aligned inwardly extending bosses 31, 31, the upper portion 32 of each of which is secured to a respective flange 11 by appropriate securing means 33, 33, as illustrated in the drawings. The inner faces of bosses 31, 31 engage the inner edge of flanges 11, 11 respectively.

The inner ends 39, 39, the bosses 31, 31 and the transversely extending portions 22, 22 of brackets 17 and 18, together with the flanges 11, 11 form a track, as illustrated in Fig. 3. An adjustable yoke-like member 34 is adjustably positionable in said track by virtue of an adjusting screw 35 having a handle 36. The inner end of the adjusting screw is secured by appropriate fastening means 37 in an end of the yoke-like member 34, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The screw 37 is threadingly mounted in the aperture of flange 12 of the foot support 10. A pair of outwardly extending ears 38, 38 of the slidable yoke-like member 34 are secured to the opposite ends of a plate or band 39 by suitable fastening means 40, 40, which are illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 as being bolts and nuts. The band 39 is preferably of rigid metal construction and together with its hard rubber-like core 41, which is preferably press fit in the elongated groove 42 in said clamping band 39, form the movable pole-engaging component.

The adjustable pole-engaging member 52 lies substantially in the same horizontal plane as the foot support 10 and is vertically spaced from the plane of the fixed poleengaging member 26 so that in cooperation the adjustable pole-engaging member 52 and the fixed pole-engaging member 26 provide an action like that of a G-clamp insofar as the securing action on the pole P is concerned.

Additionally, in the instant invention a pair of inwardly extending angularly extending braces or arms 42, 42

are secured at the lower ends in opposed positions to respective brackets 13, 13 and said brackets and said arms are rigidly secured by means of fasteners such as screws and nuts 43 43m respective fianges 11, 11, as illust rated in the drawings. The upper ends'of the braces 42, 42

extendinwardly and each is rigidly secured to a respective upturn end 24 of the brackets 17 by the suitable fastening means 27, herein'illustrated in Fig. 2 as being wing nuts and :bolts. Z a

Accordingly, a climber would adjust the'throat between the fixed pole-engaging member '26 and the adjustable pole-engaging member 52 to accommodate the pole to he climbed by turning screw 35 in appropriatedirection to move'the band or clamp 39 inwardly or outwardly, so that when the device was perpendicular to the longi- V tudinal axis of the pole 'P therewould be 'sufiicient said foot support to vary the horizontal spacing between clearance of the throat to permit disengagement of the g V device'with the pole P. However, when the device would be slightly tilted counter-clockwise with respect to Fig. l the fixed pole-engaging element 26 would engage the pole at one point and would partially encircle the same. Accordingly, counter force of the pole F to the downward force caused by the weight of the user would betransmitted through'the inwardly extending arm 25 and thence through the angularly disposed braces 42, 42

V to in effect provide an upwardly directed force proportional to the force of engagement of the fixed pole-engaga ing member with the pole Pjthereby providing strong support to the support 10' at the heel of shoeiSfh A spacer or climber heel 44 is provided at the outer ended the support 10to'the flanges 11; 11 of which the same is secured. The spacer 44 elevates'th'e end of platform 10 sufliciently so that complete turning of the bandle 36 is permitted when the device is in walking position 7 thereby precluding accidental damage to the handle should it be turned to the dotted line positioned in Fig.

1, during walking.

As many changes could be made in the above construction,'an d' as many apparently widely difierent embodiments of my invention withinthe scope of,the claims could be'constructed without departing from the spirit 7 and scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained t in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative and notina limiting sense. 7 l a 'I claim: a u 7 a 1. A pole climbing device comprising a foot support; a first pole-engaging element, said element having an end portion vertically spaced above said foot support. and

horizontally spaced from one end of said foot support;

means for fixedly connecting said first element to said the said end portions of said first and second elements ,and the horizontal spacing between said end portion of said second element and the said end -of said foot supp l f 2 A pole climbing device substantially as set forth in claim 1, in which an end portion'of said first element overlies said foot support; and said means for fixedly' connecting said first element to said foot support includes abracecomprising a pair of arms, each of said arms exi tending between'and being connected to said end portion of said first element overlying said foot support and portions of said foot support contiguous to an end of said foot support and horizontally spaced from said foot 7 support overlying end portion of said first element.

3. A pole climbing device substantially as ,set'forth in claim 2, in which said adjustingmeans includes a horizontally extending screw'suported by said foot support for simultaneous rotational and axial movement; and

A means 'for connecting one end of said screw to said sec- 0nd element, said meanspreventing relative horizontal 7 movement between said second element and said screw but permitting relative rotation therebetween. I

References Cited in the file of this patent V I V UNITED STATES PATENTS 534,686 V Falk "Feb. 26, 1895 857,430 'Youngquist et al. June 18,1907 1,091,277 Bloom' 'Mar. 24, 1914 p g V FOREIGN PATENTS f 7 7 95,052 Germany Dec; 31,1896 180,435 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1933 948,553 "France Aug. 4, 71949 

